The Thien Chi Center teaches a closed-loop integrated farming model that connects cattle, earthworm farming, poultry raising, and forage grass cultivation. This sustainable system relies on a natural cycle where the waste products of one part of the farm become the direct inputs to feed the next part ensuring that farm resources are completely recycled and nothing is discharged into the environment as pollution.
The biological process works in continuous and connected steps. First, the cattle produce manure and urine which farmers collect and use as the primary food to grow earthworms. The earthworms eat and process this cow manure and then the chickens eat these earthworms as a cheap, high-protein nutrient supplement. At the same time, cultivated forage grass provides the basic feed for the cattle which protects the soil structure and keeps the farm environment green. Finally, the family gathers up the remaining byproducts like earthworm castings (the rich dirt left behind by the worms), chicken manure and excess cow manure and sells them as organic fertilizer to make extra money.
This integrated management system delivers clear environmental benefits to rural households by reducing farm odors and keeping fly populations down. Because all organic matter is recycled within the farm boundaries the model effectively prevents hazardous agricultural wastewater from contaminating local water sources while enriching long-term soil fertility.
From an economic perspective the model lowers overall production costs because families do not need to buy commercial animal feed or external chemical fertilizers. For a standard rural household managing one to two cows and chickens this diversified system generates an estimated total annual income between 43 and 73 million VND through the combined sales of livestock, poultry, and organic manure.